


Ruined Childhoods

by respoftw



Series: 30 prompt OTP challenge - McShep [3]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, M/M, Spoilers for "The Iron Giant"
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-13
Updated: 2016-12-13
Packaged: 2018-09-08 09:49:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8839921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/respoftw/pseuds/respoftw
Summary: John, Rodney and Madison watch a movie.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt #3: Watching a movie

Rodney McKay had done many impossible things in his almost two score years. Many incredible, unbelievable things like stepping through a wormhole to another galaxy; fighting aliens; building spaceships; even convincing a certain spiky haired Lt. Colonel to marry him.

Somehow, all of that paled in comparison to the scenario he found himself in now; stretched out on a huge hotel bed watching a kids movie with his husband and their seven year old niece.

It was all just so damn domestic. They didn't get a lot of domesticity, not while they were still living on Atlantis. When he thought about it, it was a bit ridiculous that shooting a P-90 at a Wraith felt more familiar, more natural than watching a small boy and a giant robot become friends.

Rodney leaned over Madison's legs which were kicked up in the air as she lay length ways across the bed, her chin propped up by her hands, to share his bewilderment at their current situation with John. And then promptly froze when he saw John's face.

"Are you...are you _crying_?"

John sniffed and cleared his throat, avoiding eye contact. "No," he lied. "It's allergies or something. Maybe the room hasn't been cleaned properly."

"Oh no, no, no," Rodney grinned. This was literally the best thing that had ever happened to him. "Don't even try to distract me with that possibility, I've already spoken to the cleaning staff, the concierge and the hotel manager about the standards I expect. You're _actually_ crying. Over a robot." Rodney pulled out his phone to capture the moment. "This is the best day of my life," he crowed.

Madison twisted around on the bed to look at her uncles, the TV forgotten. "Why are you crying, Uncle John?" she asked. "Look," she pointed at the screen where the dismembered parts of the Iron Giant were making their way across a glacier in Iceland, "he didn't die. All the parts will come together and he can rebuild himself and then he'll be good as new. It's a happy ending, Uncle John."

John's jaw clenched in that stubborn way that Rodney usually associated with his husband biting his tongue when faced with an order he didn't agree with. Bewildered, he exchanged a glance with Madison who shrugged.

"She's right, you know," Rodney said. "I mean, if it were Bambi or, or Dumbo I'd understand but," Rodney gestured helplessly at the TV as the end credits rolled.

"Come on, Rodney, you know better than that," John swore. "Did you see the weaponry on him? Did you see the way the military reacted?" John swallowed as he tried to get his emotions in check. "He's programmed to react like that. You think the military would ever let something, _someone,_ like that just exist without controlling them? He can never be around people again. He'll never see Hogarth again. He's, Jesus, he's doomed to spend eternity hiding, alone, without - -" John broke off in disbelief. "What the hell kind of kids movie is this?"

"Well," Rodney cleared his own throat, which was feeling suspiciously thick, "thank you Lt. Colonel for ruining 'The Iron Giant' for me forever. What do you say, Madison? You want to let Uncle John watch 'Back To The Future' next to cheer him up? Madison?"

Madison answered with a resounding sob that sent Rodney into panic mode. He glared at John as Madison crawled into his lap and grabbed on to his shirt.

"I don't want him to be alone forever, Uncle Mer!" she begged. "You're the smartest person in the whole world, can't you fix him? Make it so he doesn't have the big guns anymore?"

Rodney sighed wearily as he patted Madison on the back, attempting comfort. As she sobbed into his shirt, Rodney leaned over to hiss at John.

"You're the one who'll be explaining to my sister exactly how you ruined her favourite film."

All in all, Rodney would rather be fighting Wraith; Domesticity was overrated.

 

**Author's Note:**

> As always, you can find me on [Tumblr](http://buffycuddlespigs.tumblr.com)
> 
> Also, this (almost) exact conversation occurred between me and my partner when we first watched The Iron Giant many years ago. This movie is completely ruined for me now.


End file.
